NFL draft evaluators love the fourth-year junior’s combination of size (6-feet-4, 219 pounds), athleticism and arm. Those who know Oregon and its history of successful quarterbacks do not hesitate to mention Mariota’s name with theirs. And then there’s this from MSU quarterback Connor Cook: “He seems like a cool dude.”

“I would love to meet him,” Cook said, and he’s about to do just that.

Or at least there’s a good chance the two guys who will have the most to say about today’s epic MSU-Oregon battle will be able to share a few words when it’s finished. The No. 7 Spartans (1-0) know they must make Mariota as uncomfortable as possible, as a runner and passer, to upset No. 3 Oregon (1-0).

And the Ducks know … well, they know Cook is a talented player.

“A perfect fit for what they do,” Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said.

But MSU’s offense is the most difficult unit to predict in this game. Oregon’s offense and MSU’s defense, the highly hyped main event, are too good at what they do all the time to depart drastically.

Oregon’s 3-4 defense has size and athleticism up front, speed in the back end and perhaps some vulnerability at linebacker. If the Ducks are susceptible to power running, that would seem to play into MSU’s stated goal of possessing the ball — but these Spartans may be better at passing the ball.

And after seeing what Cook did in MVP performances against Ohio State in last season’s Big Ten title game and Stanford in the Rose Bowl, MSU’s coaches don’t come off skittish about putting this game in his hands.

“I think Connor’s ready for about anything,” co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner said. “I mean, he was on the big stage last year a couple times and stepped up and played well. There’s no reason to believe he can’t step up and handle any situation.”

Coming off a 12-for-13, 285-yard, three-touchdown, one-half performance against Jacksonville State that included a late, low hit on his left knee — and left him openly angry after watching the replay — Cook was able to practice this week with some stiffness but without pain.

Huge numbers and a win today would crank the volume on the mild Heisman/NFL buzz Cook has received to date. He said he only cares about the W.

“Obviously it’s a big-time environment, but my main thing isn’t trying to go in there and put up crazy numbers,” Cook said. “My main thing is, I want to go in and win. I was talking to (MSU receiver) Tony (Lippett), and it doesn’t matter if it’s 13-10, if we win 5-2. I (couldn’t) care less what my stats are. I just want to win.”

Unlike Mariota, Cook enters this season with a conference championship to his name. The Ducks might have claimed that and more last season, but a knee injury limited Mariota’s mobility in losses to Stanford and Arizona that left the Ducks with an 11-2 record — disappointing by Oregon standards — capped by a rout of Texas in the Alamo Bowl.

“For myself, my knee would never be an excuse — I was able to throw the ball and move around,” Mariota said of those two losses. “The fact is, we didn’t execute. It wasn’t because of my knee.”

The knee is healthy today, and by the end of it, Mariota could be as high as fourth on Oregon’s all-time passing list — he needs 303 yards to pass Joey Harrington. It’s a list that also includes names such as Dan Fouts, Chris Miller, Akili Smith, Bill Musgrave and Kellen Clemens.

In the mind of ESPN analyst and former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti (1995-2008), Mariota might be better than all of them.

“I’ve coached or seen most all of them. I didn’t get a chance to see Fouts or Miller, but every quarterback since Musgrave, I’ve either coached or recruited or had a hand in it,” Bellotti said. “And Marcus is by far the best combination of size, speed, accuracy, disposition, everything.”

Narduzzi said the Spartans must find a way to get pressure on Mariota with their front four. And they have to deal with him as a runner on read-option plays, just as in the past with opponents such as U-M’s Denard Robinson and Ohio State’s Braxton Miller — neither of whom can throw as well as Mariota.

In both cases, MSU will look to defensive ends Shilique Calhoun and Marcus Rush.

“Shilique Calhoun and that other defensive end are gonna be tough,” Bellotti said, perpetuating Rush’s “underrated” reputation. “Those are the guys that can make it difficult on the quarterback in the zone reads. If they’re great athletes, they can play havoc with your zone reads.”

To help MSU’s defense prepare for the Mariota variety show, its scout team has used No. 3 quarterback Damion Terry and receiver Trey Kilgore under center. Asked what he saw from the scout-team quarterbacks after Tuesday’s practice, Calhoun responded: “All I saw was blood in my eyes.”

“Anybody that had the ball, I wanted them to go down,” he said. “So I didn’t pay too much attention to who was exactly at quarterback.”

He’ll know exactly who it is today.

Contact Joe Rexrode: jrexrode@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @joerexrode. Check out his MSU blog at freep.com/heyjoe.

Fast facts

Matchup: No. 7 Michigan State (1-0) at No. 3 Oregon (1-0).

When: 6:30 tonight.

Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.

TV/radio: Fox (Channel 2 in Detroit), WJR-AM (760).

Line: Ducks by 12½.

Go West

Today will be the fourth time in 20 seasons that the Spartans have played a Pac-12 team in the Pacific time zone. The previous three:

Jan. 1, 2014

MSU 24, Stanford 20

Spartans fans may remember this win in the Rose Bowl, giving MSU its first Rose Bowl title since 1988. MSU sealed the win with a stop on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter by Kyler Elsworth.

Aug. 30, 2008

California 38, MSU 31

Brian Hoyer piled up 321 yards through the air for MSU, but the Spartans couldn’t contain the Bears’ two-back attack of Jahvid Best and Shane Vereen, who combined for 211 rushing yards.

Sept. 12, 1998

Oregon 48, MSU 14

Oregon wasn’t known for its gaudy uniforms and high-speed offense yet, but the Ducks were led by future No. 3 overall pick (and future bust) Akili Smith, who torched an embarrassed Nick Saban in the second game of the season.